


Change for the Better

by sophinisba



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: 100-1000 Words, Bathing/Washing, Community: camelot_fleet, Episode Related, F/F, Femslash, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-26
Updated: 2009-10-26
Packaged: 2017-10-05 20:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophinisba/pseuds/sophinisba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened after Gwen and Morgana's hug at the end of episode 2x04.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change for the Better

**Author's Note:**

> For rosemaryandrue's prompt "scarlet"; contains reference to threatened sexual assault.

"I lost your cloak," Gwen said, "the scarlet one. I'm sorry, I know it was your favourite."

Morgana pulled away and stared. She was so grateful to have her Gwen back in her arms again, her clothing was the last thing on her mind. In fact, until that moment she hadn't even noticed that Gwen was wearing Morgana's dress, or that it was torn and stained, or that her face was dirty and her wrists chaffed.

"What did they do to you?" Morgana said, her voice low and controlled.

"Nothing, they–" Gwen bit her lip, looked down. "They pushed me around a bit, and they made a lot of threats. I won't say I wasn't scared, but they didn't hurt me."

Morgana hugged her again. She just didn't want to let go. "I should have come for you myself," she said. It was all she'd been thinking about in the days they'd been apart. That and the way those men leered at her when she'd taken off her dress by the water – the same thin, frilly dress Gwen was wearing now. "I shouldn't have let Arthur convince me to stay back, not when you needed me."

Gwen shook her head. "You came back here and got help. That was what I needed from you, not have you risk being captured again. We agreed, remember? Back in that tent?" Then Gwen took her hand and led them back to Morgana's room. "He teased me, you know," she said. "Hengist. He said no one in the world cared for me, or they would have sent the ransom. But I knew you wouldn't leave me there, I knew you and Merlin and Arthur did care. I knew I'd be all right, and soon I'd be back here with you."

Gwen smiled her shy, sideways smile. She was making her voice strong, making her story sound like a story of belief and trust, but Morgana knew her. She could hear the terror just underneath, still raw, like a wound covered up with cloth, not yet healed.

"We need to get you out of these clothes," Morgana said, and then stopped herself, smiled. "Not that they don't suit you…"

Gwen laughed. "Well, not in this condition, that's for sure."

When Morgana sent a chambermaid to prepare a bath Gwen tried to protest, saying whatever Morgana needed, she would take care of it, but Morgana wouldn't hear of it. "I'm taking care of _you_ now," she said.

She had Gwen sit on the bed and carefully took off her shoes and then loosened the bands at her arms and her waist.

"This is silly," said Gwen, "I can do it myself."

"You can," said Morgana, "but I'd rather you let me help you."

Because Gwen had helped Morgana undress a hundred times – sometimes because a dress really was too complicated for Morgana to get out of on her own, sometimes because Morgana was tired, but more often just because it was an excuse for them to be together, for Gwen's hands to work and to linger at Morgana's back, her waist, her bodice. The first time they'd ever kissed had been an evening after a feast, when they'd both had more than a little bit to drink, and even once Morgana's clothes were all lying around her feet they didn't want to stop touching each other.

Today wasn't like that. The sun was still shining and they were both too aware of every sore muscle or scraped bit of skin to relax into each other's hands. As Morgana pulled away the layers of cloth she wasn't just uncovering Gwen's perfect body the way she'd done before. She was finding new scars – some visible on her skin and others only in the way she moved, the way she turned away.

Gwen stopped protesting, let Morgana wash away they dirt and sweat and blood. Gwen touched her finger lightly to the cuts still healing on Morgana's face.

The sun was still shining and, though they were both tired, it wasn't time to go to bed. Gwen dressed in one of her own clean dresses – all right, it was a hand-me-down from Morgana, but one she'd been using for months, one that she wore easily.

"That's much better," she said. "Thank you." And though the words were simple, everyday pleasantries, Morgana knew she meant them, that she was feeling better in her own skin than she had an hour ago. Morgana hadn't been able to rescue her herself, but at least she was helping now.

"I don't want to go out," Gwen continued, "and talk to them, to anybody. I will, of course, but I don't want to just yet."

Morgana nodded and said, "You don't have to. We can stay here all day. We can do whatever you want. I…Gwen, I'm so happy to have you home."

Gwen's smile spread across her whole face this time, bright and true as the afternoon sunshine.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Change for the Better](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3274313) by [sophinisba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophinisba/pseuds/sophinisba)




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